TELUS and the City of Spruce Grove investing $54 million to connect the City to the gigabit-enabled fibre optic network, dramatically increasing wireless and Internet speeds throughout the region

Advanced TELUS PureFibre network will connect residents and businesses directly to gigabit Internet speeds while expanding cellular coverage throughout the region

Spruce Grove, AB – TELUS and the City of Spruce Grove are investing $54 million to connect homes and businesses in Spruce Grove directly to TELUS’ PureFibre network. Through this collaboration, the City of Spruce Grove is contributing $4.25 million to the project to connect commercial and industrial areas of the city and TELUS is investing $50 million to connect more than 90% of homes and businesses within the city boundary. The City of Spruce Grove and TELUS have also agreed to explore potential Smart City applications that would benefit residents and city operations. This investment is part of TELUS’ recently announced commitment to invest $14.5 billion in infrastructure and operations across Alberta through 2024 to further support the province throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recovery. Work on the PureFibre network in Spruce Grove is starting this month, and TELUS anticipates the majority of homes and businesses will be connected by the end of 2023, with the commercial and industrial areas to be completed first. TELUS PureFibre, with its symmetrical upload and download speeds, was ready to withstand the additional demands of the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting more than two million Albertans as they adapted to new ways of living, enabling people to work with large files at home while other family members could simultaneously be participating in virtual school, virtually connecting with healthcare practitioners, or staying socially connected. 

“TELUS is very proud to be making this generational investment in Spruce Grove, providing the technology to bridge geographic and socio-economic divides and connect citizens to the people, resources and information that make their lives better, particularly as we continue to navigate the global pandemic,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. “Importantly, TELUS PureFibre offers the community a globally unmatched wireline infrastructure that ensures all citizens have access to the digital tools to drive improved health, social and economic outcomes. Moreover, TELUS PureFibre enables entrepreneurs, start-ups and home-based businesses and workers to benefit from the same Internet speeds, functionality, reliability and security that large enterprises currently enjoy. We look forward to connecting our fellow Albertans in Spruce Grove to TELUS PureFibre and supporting the community as it attracts new industries and innovators, supporting the jobs of today and those that have yet to be imagined.”

The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is the largest 100 per cent pure fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) network in Western Canada, giving residents and businesses dramatically fast upload and download Internet speeds, which provides significant benefits for applications like video conferencing, working or learning remotely, gaming, and smart home security. Supported by the TELUS PureFibre network, TELUS Smart Home Security offers 24/7 real-time monitoring and smart controls to manage cameras, lock and unlock doors, remotely manage indoor and outdoor lighting and even the thermostat. For Canadians currently working from a home office, a PureFibre connection means upload speeds will not slow down the pace of business or lag during peak hours, and the rest of the family can simultaneously stream, play video games, and participate in online learning. 

“Reliable, high-speed internet connection is an essential amenity for residents and businesses. Investing in a fibre optic network in our industrial and commercial districts is critical to economic sustainability. This network will enhance Spruce Grove’s market competitiveness by helping attract and retain talent, as well as drive new investments and business development,” says Stuart Houston, Mayor of Spruce Grove. “On top of that, the City of Spruce Grove’s investment in fibre for our industrial area and our partnership with TELUS in this project has led to the acceleration of development of the fibre network in Spruce Grove and other communities in region, moving these projects up on TELUS’ provincial schedule and benefiting the entire region.”

Last year, TELUS announced a groundbreaking new tier of home Internet, setting a new benchmark for home and business Internet speeds in Western Canada. With blisteringly fast speeds clocking in at up to 1,500 Mbps download and up to 940 Mbps upload, the launch of TELUS PureFibre 1.5 Gigabit marked a substantial leap in available speeds for residents in B.C. and Alberta, both at home and in the workplace. 

“It’s great to see this major project coming to life in Spruce Grove,” says Searle Turton, MLA for Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. “TELUS has made significant investments across the province, and the fibre buildout in Spruce Grove is the largest infrastructure investment the community has ever seen. This partnership forged between TELUS and the City of Spruce Grove is enabling growth, connectivity, and economic development across the region now and for many years to come.”

Residents can expect to see TELUS trucks throughout the community as construction begins. Once homes are connected, residents can immediately begin taking advantage of dramatically faster and symmetrical Internet speeds. 

For more information, please visit telus.com/purefibre. 

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canada’s leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agri-business data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.

Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS, our team members and retirees to contribute more than $820 million and 1.6 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world.

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Chelsey Rajzer
TELUS Public Relations
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